Crime stats: Coles County's rise isn't evidence of epidemic

Coles County, which had an overall decrease in serious crimes last year, had more motor vehicle thefts.

But that increase was from five in 2006 to 12 in 2007 – and one person was responsible for six vehicle thefts, according to Coles County Sheriff Darrell Cox.

A recent state report, which showed serious crimes dropped 3 percent statewide from 2006 to '07, is just a snapshot of numbers that don't tell the whole story in any given community, according to area law enforcement officials.

Cox thinks a lot of crimes in Coles County in recent years were caused by a serious problem with methamphetamine.

"There were times, in the past, where we were No. 1 in the state in meth arrests and meth lab seizures," Cox said. "We've had a huge decline in that."

Changes in state laws requiring registration to buy pseudoephedrine – a key ingredient in the meth manufacturing process – probably account for the improvement, Cox said.

Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew said burglary, robbery and other crimes are driven by drug addictions.

Curtis Blakely, a professor at the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at the University of South Alabama, said any statistics, including crime data, can be manipulated.

A new department directive, policy or law can result in pressure to ensure the new approach is successful, he said.

Blakely said raw frequencies of crimes can be misleading.

"When multiple crimes occur during one criminal event, only the most serious of those crimes is counted under the current approach," Blakely said.

Champaign County Sheriff Dan Walsh said one crime with a significant statewide drop in 2007 is vehicle theft, and that's true in Champaign County. There also appear to be more criminals who commit multiple car or residential burglaries.

"Instead of just doing one or two car burglaries, they will do 15. The same thing with residential burglaries," Walsh said. "If you do put those people in jail, it does (affect) the numbers for a time. Your crime rate will drop for a while."

Urbana Police Chief Mike Bily said state crime data shows a drop in Urbana's serious crimes the past two years, but before that, the rate fluctuated.

With crimes that have smaller numbers, any difference from one year to another will show a greater change percentagewise, he said. Removal of one or two active criminals can particularly help reduce property crimes, Bily said.

"We don't usually have serial murderers, but we do have serial burglars or serial robbers," Bily said.

Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn said: "We are always pleased when the numbers go down."

Some crimes, like murder or rape, are hard to affect, the sheriff said, but hopefully the data show law enforcement strategies are working.

"We have had intensive patrols in some areas where burglaries have occurred. Hopefully, some of those strategies have worked to help reduce crimes," Hartshorn said.

Piatt County Sheriff Bob Manint said a group of people committing several crimes can affect the overall crime rate, particularly for a small community. Piatt County had a series of burglaries this year between Cisco and DeLand, resulting in the arrest of three juveniles, he said.

Danville Director of Public Safety Larry Thomason said the state data, which shows a slight increase in serious crimes in the city, indicate police and citizens are working together to prevent and solve crimes. For example, there were nearly 20 percent fewer burglaries in Danville last year than the year before.

"It means somebody saw something and called it in," Thomason said,

Champaign police Crime Analyst Gary Spear said the department compiles serious crime data differently from how the state does. The city's internal reports are intended to help beat patrol officers see what is happening in their neighborhoods.

"We don't look at the numbers to make wholesale changes in what we do," Spear said.

Champaign police also look at other factors, such as people who were just released from prison.

"We work on immediate impact," Spear said. "We look at things coming in daily, talk to officers on the street and see what's happening currently."

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